As tech giants pour billions into artificial intelligence, one travel industry leader explains why the human touch matters more than ever
Amazon and Google recently announced billions in fresh investment in artificial intelligence ref). The headlines write themselves: machines are coming for our jobs.
And the numbers are genuinely staggering.
ChatGPT launched just three years ago. Today, it answers 2.5 billion questions every single day (ref). One in four UK businesses now uses AI, double the figure from two years ago (ref). Seventy-three per cent of British adults used an AI-powered service last month, often without realising it (ref).
Your car already knows where you’re going before you’ve typed the destination. Netflix predicts what you want to watch before you’ve decided. The NHS uses AI to speed up diagnosis. AI is no longer science fiction; it’s woven into daily life.
So here’s the uncomfortable question: if AI can do all this, why would anyone still use a travel agent, and what are you missing if you don’t?
Because some things can’t be automated
According to the most recent stats from ABTA, 34% of the UK population actively want to book their holiday through a travel consultant rather than online. That’s tens of millions of people choosing a human conversation over an algorithm.
The reason is simple. A holiday is often the biggest purchase we make with our disposable income each year. We want to be listened to. We want someone who understands that a trip celebrating a 30th wedding anniversary needs a completely different approach than a budget half-term escape with the kids.
AI can search thousands of options in milliseconds. It can generate destination guides and compare prices faster than any human. But it cannot read the hesitation in your voice. It cannot notice the glance you exchange with your partner when a particular resort is mentioned. It cannot ask the follow-up question that unlocks what you actually want.
For all its extraordinary power, AI lacks emotional intelligence. And booking a holiday, especially an important one, requires exactly that.
The value of a human is now more evident than ever
Current conflict and instability in parts of the Middle East have understandably captured headlines in recent weeks,
Yet, the current situation shows the true value of travel consultants. When circumstances change quickly, clients who book through a travel consultant have a direct point of contact – by phone or WhatsApp – who is tracking developments, managing any necessary changes, and ensuring their travel plans remain as seamless as possible. Travel consultants all over the UK, and indeed the world, have spent long evenings and weekends on the phone to suppliers and airlines to ensure their clients travel is adapted and safe. AI can’t do that. AI doesn’t care.
That continuity of support, before departure and during travel, is precisely what distinguishes professionally managed itineraries from self-booked arrangements.
The filling, not the bread
AI is the filling in the sandwich, but the personal travel consultant is the bread that holds everything together. The technology handles the time-consuming research and admin. That frees us to do what humans do best: listen, advise, and build genuine relationships.
The real disruption will hit price comparison websites and online booking platforms, businesses built entirely on self-service. When AI can comparison-shop faster than any website, that model comes under pressure. The human model, built on trust and expertise, becomes more valuable, not less.
The businesses at risk aren’t travel consultants. They’re the ones with no human element at all.
Adapt or fall behind
Not Just Travel is investing heavily in AI tools for its consultants including the rollout of our NJT Smart AI platform, but with a clear philosophy.
We don’t start with technology and ask how to use it. We start with what our consultants and their customers actually need. Then we ask whether AI can help deliver it. That’s the right way round.
The statistics support our approach. Businesses using AI report higher productivity per employee. Yet a large majority of small firms still have no AI plan whatsoever. The gap between those who adapt and those who don’t is widening fast.
What you should do, as a traveller
If you’re tempted to let an algorithm plan your next big trip, ask yourself three simple questions first.
- Has anyone actually listened to why this holiday matters to me?
- Will this booking still look like the right decision if my circumstances change or something goes wrong?
- And is there a real person, with real expertise, who will pick up the phone when I need them?
If the answer is no, you’re not getting the full benefit of either AI or human insight.
The bottom line
AI use in the UK has doubled in two years. Among young people aged 15–24, one in four already uses it daily. This shift is permanent.
But the travel consultants who embrace AI, while keeping human relationships at the heart of what they do, will thrive. The technology handles the heavy lifting. The human provides the understanding, reassurance, and personal touch that no algorithm can replicate.
So will AI replace your travel agent? Not a chance. It’ll just make the good ones even better.
